Ilha Fiscal – Fiscal Island

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Old customs building in gothic style completed in 1889. Famos for holding “The Last Ball of the Empire”

From a Postcrossing friend in Brazil – she sent three cards in an envelope

The Fiscal Island is located inside the Guanabara Bay, bordering the historic city center of Rio de Janeira in Brazil.

Originally named by Europeans as Rat Island , its current name comes from the fact there have run the post of the Fiscal Guard, which served the port of the then capital of the Empire in the nineteenth century.

The island became famous for having housed the famous dance of the Fiscal Island, the Empire’s last big party before the proclamation of the Republic in November 1889 .

Museu do Ipiranga

or Museu Paulista

Sao Paulo, Brazil

I received three beautiful cards from Brazil from a Postcrossing friend.

The Museu Paulista of the University of Sao Paulo (commonly known in Sao Paulo as Museu do Ipiranga) is a Brazilian history museum located near where Emperor D. Pedro I proclaimed Brazilian independence on the banks of Ipiranga brook in the Southeast region of the city of Sao Paulo, then the “Caminho do Mar,” or road to the seashore. It contains a huge collection of furniture, documents and historically relevant artwork, especially relating to the Brazilian Empire era.

The most famous work of art in the collection is the 1888 painting Independência ou Morte (Independence or Death) by Pedro Americo.

A few months after the Brazilian Declaration of Independence, people started to suggest a monument on the site where the declaration took place, although they were not sure about what sort of memorial construction to build. In 1884, Italian architect Tommaso Gaudenzio Bezzi, who was hired to develop the project, chose to build an eclectic-styled construction similar to the French Palace of Versailles with impressive and perfectly manicured gardens and fountain. – See Wikipedia for more…

Wawel Castle, Krakow, Poland

From a Postcrossing pal in Poland

Beautiful city and amazing castle!

The Gothic Wawel Castle in Krakow in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen’s Foot (Kurza Stopka) and the Danish Tower. The Jadwiga and Jogaila Chamber, in which the sword Szczerbiec, was used in coronation ceremonies, is exhibited today and is another remnant of this period. Other structures were developed on the hill during that time as well, in order to serve as quarters for the numerous clergy, royal clerks and craftsmen. Defensive walls and towers such as Jordanka, Lubranka, Sandomierska, Tęczyńska, Szlachecka, Złodziejska and Panieńska were erected in the same period.

Germany ~ Kampen Lighthouse

Received from a Postcrossing pal in Germany – damage from postal handling… 😦

The Kampen lighthouse is located on the geestlnad core of the German island of Sylt, south of Kampen. It is a white conical stone tower with a broad black band.

When Sylt belonged to the Danish realm in 1853, king Frederick VII ordered the construction of a lighthouse on Sylt’s highest elevation, the red cliff. The tower was first lit in 1856. Its original Petroleum lantern was at the time a technical revolution and was displayed at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855.

The tower was originally constructed from yellow Bornholm bricks and was reinforced with iron rings in 1875.

Until 1953 the lighthouse used to be greyish-yellow, the colour of the whithered bricks. Only then it was painted with its characteristic black and white.

In the early years after its inauguration, the facility became popular with locals and tourists. Specifically guest books from the 1970s and 80s bear witness to this. Unlike today, the tower could then still be accessed and visited by the public and provided a spectacular view across the island.

In 1929 the so far greatest modification was made when the entire lantern house was altered and the light source was changed from petroleum to electricity.

There are no Lighthouse keepers any more since 1977, like all active lights on Sylt, the Kampen lighthouse is remotely controlled by a time switchin Koblenz. It is lit an hour prior to sunset and doused one hour after sunrise.

Only once in its 150 years of existence the lighthouse was severely threatened. Whermacht plans proposed the expansion of an airfield on the nearby Braderup heath and the tower would have to be detonated. With the occupation of Denmark and Norway in 1940 these plans became obsolete though as the strategic importance of Sylt had significantly decreased.

From 2004 to 2005 the lighthouse was elaborately renovated and was therefore completely scaffolded for several months. On 4 June 2006 the 150th anniversary was celebrated with a Turmfest and the rare opportunity was provided to scale the newly renovated tower. Admission tickets were drawn.

Michigan’s State Stone – Petoskey Stone

Michigan’s State Stone, the Petoskey Stone, may be found along the shores of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, as well as in glacial drift throughout Lower Michigan. It is used for making jewelry and ornaments.

From a Postcrossing pal in Michigan

What’s a Petoskey Stone?

The Petoskey Stone is a coral that lived 350 million years ago during the Devonian age when the northern part of Michigan was covered with a sea of warm water. The scientific name is Hexagonaria percarinata (Hexagonaria meaning having six sides).

The soft living tissue of the corallite was called polyp. At the center of the polyp was the food intake opening or mouth. This dark spot, or the eye of the corallite, has been filled with silt or mud that petrified after falling into the openings. Surrounding the opening were tentacles that were used for gathering food and drawing the food into the mouth. This living corallite thrived on plankton which lived in the warm sea.

Calcite, silica and other minerals have replaced the original elements in each cell. Each chamber or corallite at one time was a living marine animal that grew in colonies. The Petoskey stone is also known as a colony coral. -From Potoskey Area website

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